ErikB
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2016
- Messages
- 371
So this is more of a curiosity thing and I do not believe that there is a right or wrong way to create or describe aliens for the general writing community.
For myself without going too deep into beliefs or my background as a biologist I will say that I build on environmental factors and a few base rules that I personally find satisfying in creating alien bipeds or alien animals/creatures.
I would say that if you look at Earth as a basic model and think about the way that different organisms are evolved and adapted to their environment and the pressures it places upon them, then it is obvious to see that form and function walk hand in hand.
Lower gravity beings are weaker than heavy gravity beings to various degrees. The skin that behoves an alien on a tropical humid world would not suffice on a cold or desert planet.
Generally speaking mammals, reptiles, and birds have four limbs (not to criticize creatures that are hexipedal or octopods etc.), whereas insects and arthropods and molluscs can or do have more.
Most bipeds are bilaterally split. Generally one side mirrors the other and this goes for most creatures in nature. Having odd limbs such as 3 or 5 for an advanced organism is not a general natural function if we agree to use what we know and observe as a model of what we might find on encountering other organisms in the universe.
Nothing is impossible or set in stone I realize and that is why it is called science fiction. But I find that keeping to natural models for organisms on our own world that if an alien biped is around 20 - 70% different from humans but still retaining some of the basic natural form inherent in bipedal locomotion and form, then the alien becomes much more viable to the reader.
Think about the film industry franchise. We all know what Klingons and Wookies look like. We know of Romulans and Navi quite well and the characters are believable.
That's not to say hexipedal characters are not memorable. The Tharks of John Carter of Mars for example are quite memorable and if you read the books Borroughs has plenty of other odd but interesting characters in his tales.
Ultimately it is a matter of what you like as an author where you draw the line and if you even do. For my part I am more drawn to the "less is more" thing when it comes to creating aliens.
A few little variations and a handful of stronger deviations from our own model and you have interesting and memorable species that readers will quickly identify with.
And not to play with words too much here but the more strange and bizarre that you make your alien the more challenging it can be to get a reader to empathize with that creature until they are well divested into your story. Alienated by strange aliens? Always possible and to a degree accurate.
No matter how you create your aliens its always fun and fascinating especially where you get to create their interactions with humans. Seeing the diversity of forms responding to each other and the various goals and plots of a story is interesting to the reader.
So just out of curiosity how much divergence from our natural laws or forms do you like to apply to your aliens?
For my part I'd say my aliens are usually around 35 - 45% strange or different than what you might find here on Earth. But always with a strong consideration for how their evolution has created their form and thinking and behavior.
Cheers!
For myself without going too deep into beliefs or my background as a biologist I will say that I build on environmental factors and a few base rules that I personally find satisfying in creating alien bipeds or alien animals/creatures.
I would say that if you look at Earth as a basic model and think about the way that different organisms are evolved and adapted to their environment and the pressures it places upon them, then it is obvious to see that form and function walk hand in hand.
Lower gravity beings are weaker than heavy gravity beings to various degrees. The skin that behoves an alien on a tropical humid world would not suffice on a cold or desert planet.
Generally speaking mammals, reptiles, and birds have four limbs (not to criticize creatures that are hexipedal or octopods etc.), whereas insects and arthropods and molluscs can or do have more.
Most bipeds are bilaterally split. Generally one side mirrors the other and this goes for most creatures in nature. Having odd limbs such as 3 or 5 for an advanced organism is not a general natural function if we agree to use what we know and observe as a model of what we might find on encountering other organisms in the universe.
Nothing is impossible or set in stone I realize and that is why it is called science fiction. But I find that keeping to natural models for organisms on our own world that if an alien biped is around 20 - 70% different from humans but still retaining some of the basic natural form inherent in bipedal locomotion and form, then the alien becomes much more viable to the reader.
Think about the film industry franchise. We all know what Klingons and Wookies look like. We know of Romulans and Navi quite well and the characters are believable.
That's not to say hexipedal characters are not memorable. The Tharks of John Carter of Mars for example are quite memorable and if you read the books Borroughs has plenty of other odd but interesting characters in his tales.
Ultimately it is a matter of what you like as an author where you draw the line and if you even do. For my part I am more drawn to the "less is more" thing when it comes to creating aliens.
A few little variations and a handful of stronger deviations from our own model and you have interesting and memorable species that readers will quickly identify with.
And not to play with words too much here but the more strange and bizarre that you make your alien the more challenging it can be to get a reader to empathize with that creature until they are well divested into your story. Alienated by strange aliens? Always possible and to a degree accurate.
No matter how you create your aliens its always fun and fascinating especially where you get to create their interactions with humans. Seeing the diversity of forms responding to each other and the various goals and plots of a story is interesting to the reader.
So just out of curiosity how much divergence from our natural laws or forms do you like to apply to your aliens?
For my part I'd say my aliens are usually around 35 - 45% strange or different than what you might find here on Earth. But always with a strong consideration for how their evolution has created their form and thinking and behavior.
Cheers!
